M u r d e r er
by Straying Life
Summary: When Paulina is m u r d e red, everyone thinks its Sam. But Sam doesn’t even know what happened in the time period she was m u r d e red. She is sent to jail, and only then does Danny realize what’s that feeling in his stomach.
1. Caught

Hey. This is a response to Guinivere Sage's request in her story "Oh, It's On" in chapter 7. I'm so evil. And this will be done in their senior year as well, just because I can make it work better.

DISCLAIMER: for once, I don't even own half the idea! It's a freaking miracle! The well has not run dry, but someone has poured in some of their own water!

SUMMARY: When Paulina is murdered, everyone thinks its Sam. But Sam doesn't even know what happened in the time period she was murdered. She is sent to jail, and only then does Danny realize what's that feeling in his stomach.

Chapter 1

"Caught"

Sam rolled around in her sleep, a sweet smile on her face. The last words she heard were "I love you", but she didn't know who said them. She didn't care, either. No one in her life had ever said that and not be in relation to her. She wouldn't have cared if it was Dash who said it, even. As long as someone had said I love you.

Her eyes snapped open. It was one hell of a sleepless night. She went to her sink and splashed cold water on her face. Wiping herself dry, she retied her ponytail, as practically everything came out of it, black chunks of hair framing her face. Sam crawled back into her sheets, her amethyst eyes looking onto her eyes. 2 o'clock, said the red digital lines. But something made her leave. Sighing, she crawled out, put on slippers and left the room, something clutched in hand.

The next time she came back to her bed, she checked the clock. 3 now. She shut her eyes gently, fatigue cradling her into sleep as she smiled and slipped into the warmth of her covers.

Sam stood at her locker, doing the combination. Swivel to the left until 24, go round once to the right, then stop at 5, then go left without a round and end up at 32. Just as she opened her locker and started to put in her books for Home Economics, Science, and English class, her friends Danny and Tucker came running clumsily to their lockers. It seemed urgent, but then again, whenever they ran, it always seemed urgent, as they tripped over themselves three-quarters of the time. Sam calmly closed her locker. Slinging her bookbag over her shoulder, she began to talk.

"Hey. Took ya long enough," she taunted with a small smile. But it faded once she saw the paleness of Danny's face. He looked like a vampire with messy black hair and icy blue eyes and Tucker looked as if he had switched his eyes for painted tennis balls.

"S-Sam…" Danny managed to blurt out. "P-Paulina, sh-she was…" He couldn't get the word out.

"M-M-M-M—" Tucker tried getting it out as well, but his tongue might as well have been on vacation.

"What?" said Sam gently.

"M-MURDERED!" Danny finally yelled. Sam took a step back, mouth agape, hand on chest. Murdered? The little slut had it coming, but she still couldn't believe it. She didn't want to cause that much pain!

"When?" she asked firmly.

"Last night, around 2 in the morning." Danny was finally able to catch his breath.

"W-What?" Sam's eyes grew wide as she flung the locker open again. Was it her fault that Paulina had been brutally murdered? She didn't remember what happened between 2 and 3 in the morning. She found a knife in blood. Then again, her knife was always in blood. Or at least in red marker. Sam glanced at both hands and wrists. Nothing. Was it her?

Sam bit her lip and thrust the locker door back as if locusts were about to spring out of it. She looked over to Danny and Tucker. Danny still looked pale and shaken. Maybe he had seen the body. His hands shook so much that Sam had offered to do it for him. She looked over to get a closer look at Tucker. His breathing was still a little ragged, but for the most part, he had calmed down.

Later that morning, all three had English second block. They had to work in groups of three and they had gotten together to discuss the book they were reading.

"No, no, Tuck, don't you see?" said Sam. "Thomas is an omen. He's haunting Felicia because of that!"

"But then why does he hate her so much?"

"Tuck, it's juvenile, but what would you expect at age 11? At 11, he swept into Rose's and Juliette's security and tampered with it so Felicia would get annoyed. It was his way of displaying of affection."

"So why's he haunting her? At 16, you'd think he wants to make her happy, right? Not so juvenile!"

"Tuck, I told you, he's an OMEN." Sam sighed. It was pointless to try and teach him the romantic, or not so romantic, pairings of the Test Subject series (A/N: I own that! Touch the idea and DIE because I am at page 88 in writing it and I've got it COPYRIGHTED, MAN!).

The PA system crackled. "Will Samantha Quelina Manson report to the main office." It wasn't much a question than a command. Sam stood up grumpily; WHY must her middle name be Quelina? She trudged into the main office and sat down in a cushy seat.

"Darling, Samantha, right?" said the secretary, chewing bubblegum as she typed up notices.

"Sam," she mumbled. She had been trying to forget what had happened the night before, but it wasn't as easy as she thought. Although she couldn't remember an hour's worth of time the night before, she could feel cold water on her face, a soft towel and nearly fell asleep in the chair when the warm cradling feeling overtook her again.

"Samantha. Samantha!" yelled Mr. Lancer. Sam snapped back to Earth.

"It's Sam."

"Whatever. I don't care about that right now!" his voice was stern and angry. But in between that rage, she could hear fear and sadness intoned in his speech. "Samantha, you have been…" He had a hard time getting it out.

"What?" asked Sam, sitting straight up as if a rod had gone through her back.

"You're going to jail. You are believed to be the murderer of Paulina Nicolita Sanchez."

Chapter 1

Chapter 2: soon, tomorrow, hopefully.

Ooooooh… This is going to end well…Very well. And the third chapter won't come unless you people read Ramblings of a Hurt Thirteen Year Old (on my profile page) and review it. I'm sorry about that, but I need critique on it. Give me at least 10 reviews on it (no repeats from you people, I know there's more than 10 of you out there!), 5 reviews on Green Needle Hidden, and at least 2 on this story. I'm sorry, but I need them.

Anyway…hehe…I'm evil. Well, Guinivere Sage is, but I'm making it even more evil! Whoo!


	2. The Big House

Hey! Whassup? Just reading your reviews make me so happy! Thanks a bunch! I woke up at 10 am, and immediately begin writing. Check my email, and there sit a bunch of review alerts! I wanna thank josh111888 for being faithful and reading Green Needle Hidden AND reviewing! You're so cool! Another thanks to California Girl Sammy Phantom! Yay!

DISCLAIMER: Butch is starting to look a little sweaty!

SUMMARY: When Paulina is m u r d e red, everyone thinks its Sam. But Sam doesn't even know what happened in the time period she was m u r d e red. She is sent to jail, and only then does Danny realize what's that feeling in his stomach.

Chapter 2

"The Big House"

"WHAT?" yelled Sam. She fell out of her chair. How could this be? She didn't m u r d e r her! "But I didn't m u r d e r her!"

"I'm sorry, but there is no excuse for manslaughter!" yelled Lancer firmly. Two cops walked in and grabbed Sam by the arms and dragged her, leaving her kicking and screaming and flailing all she could as she was dragged out of the office and into the barred back of a police truck.

Danny had been walking down the same hall to go to the bathroom. He stopped dead in his tracks. It was Sam. Yelling. Worriedly.

"SAM?" he bellowed.

"DANNY, HELP ME! I'M GOING TO JAIL!" she screamed in return. Danny couldn't move. I'm going to jail…those words seriously shook him. He turned on his heels and ran back, tears threatening to come out. Why Sam? How Sam?

He ran back into the classroom, ice blue eyes glazed over. He glanced at Tucker and, not caring that class was still in session, yelled.

"Tucker, something happened with Sam!" he bellowed. All the kids in the class dropped at least half their supplies and the teacher's chalk made a bone-shivering squeak as it skid across the surface.

"What?" he replied. He hastily dropped all his things in his backpack and came to his level.

"Come with me," said Danny, desperately trying to get control of his voice. Once out of the room, they ran into the bathroom. Danny changed into a ghost, his black hair white, his ice blue eyes neon green, his usual attire now a black and white jumpsuit, and told Tucker, "The truck's probably halfway there by now."

Grabbing Tuck by the waist, he phased through the ceiling and flew at top speed towards the truck.

"What do you mean?" he asked, looking up to see no form since they were invisible.

"I mean Sam is going to jail. I don't know why, but she is." His voice started shaking. He shut his eyes, getting rid of excess water. Danny had a hunch. It couldn't be Sam. It just couldn't. But was it? He didn't know. But he wouldn't dare doubt his best friend! No way! But he couldn't help but wonder: was it really her?

"No…"

"Y-Yep."

"Hey, is that the truck?" asked Tucker as he pointed to a white truck with bars in the back. A young woman was in it, grasping the bars and blubbering.

"Yeah, it is!" Danny flew lower until level with the bars. He increased his speed just until he was face to face with the young lady. She had silky black hair and lavender eyes. Most definitely Sam.

"Sam, are you okay?" asked Danny gently. Sam shook her head no and tears went everywhere.

"Tuck get on my back," Danny murmured to him. He quickly got on his back, leaving Danny's hands free.

"Sam, we'll come every day. We'll do whatever it takes to get you out. Don't forget, nothing is right here without you," he said softly. He placed his gloved hand on Sam's cheek, now covered in mascara tracks, ever so slightly and stroked it gently. His hand went up to her wet eyes and one of his fingers created a barrier for a tear. "Don't forget us. Don't go insane." Sam nodded, but very slightly.

Her eyes opened just a bit and saw Danny and Tucker flying after her. She let go of one of the bars she was gripping and outstretched her arm as best she could. Danny grasped it and held it as if it were the most important thing in the world. Everything could've melted away, and he could have continued flying for ages with her in hand. As long as everything was gone and okay.

But the truck sped up and the bond was broken. Everything came back, the zooming houses, the black roads, the bars on the truck…

"Danny!" she yelled hopelessly, eyes shut.

"SAM!" he yelled, but he couldn't keep up. He just fell behind as the truck zoomed off. Sam shut her eyes and wanted the world to leave.

Leave, world, leave! Leave me alone to rot and die! Nothing could be worse than this! She didn't know what happened in that time period, but that didn't necessarily mean she had done it! She fell back, sinking into the darkness. There was a reason for everything, and she might as well just stay put until she finds it.

Danny fell behind and just decided to stop, no matter how painful it would be. There was no way he could catch up now. He stopped on a sidewalk and let Tucker off. He changed back and stared in awe with blue eyes at the truck rushing away.

"I'm not going to let her go without a fight," he muttered. Tucker gripped his arm and started stuttering.

"Sh-She will be fine there, right?" he asked.

Danny shook him off, took a quick glance at the slightly collapsed dark-skinned teenage techno geek and said very quietly with a tear running down his face. "I hope so, Tuck. I hope so."

Chapter 2

Chapter 3: look below at the circumstances

Hey there! I have already received a few reviews for said stories that needed to be reviewed. When I said reviewed, I meant read through thoroughly and give me your take on it, what I could have done better, what I should do in the future, and what you thought was good. So, here are reviews and chapter review stats will be below that.

Keep in mind that even if I do get the right amount of reviews, it'll be a little while (or longer, or shorter) until I get the next chapter up due to the fact that the next time I'll be around is near September and I've got to buy school supplies, get together with friends that I promised to see, and start doing my homework (which includes extra credit on Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, cause I'm like the only one in my school who's read it!).

Josh111888: thanks so much for reviewing and being faithful! (and your stories are pretty damn good!) That's a good idea, I'll be sure to add it in future chapters!

California Girl Sammy Phantom: that's one hell of a name! Thanks for reviewing, and as you see, I did update today!

Twilight Princess: go have some food. As a bonus, I give you tidbits of Sam's and Tucker's lunches. VERRYYYY nutritious! Thanks for reviewing! I really appreciate it!

Review Stats:

Ramblings of a Hurt Thirteen Year Old: 1/10 (come on!)

Green Needle Hidden: 1/5

M u r d e rer: 3/2! YAY!

Now. Twilight Princess, I didn't count your review on Green Needle Hidden because you didn't really tell me what you liked/disliked, wanted me to change/keep about the story when it will be updated (yeah it'll be updated). Josh111888, thanks for that review. I can tell it didn't get your interest too much, so I'll work on that. I need 9 more reviews on Ramblings of a Hurt Thirteen Year Old (I'm not dim, I check my hits. I've gotten 113 on Caught White Handed but only 3 on Green Needle Hidden!) and 4 more on Green Needle Hidden. Until then, say bye-bye to M u r d e rer!


	3. Questioning

Hey! Sorry, I've been away at art camp and that storm fried 3 computers, froze mine for a while, the DVD player, our Internet, two phones, my alarm clock, some of the lights, the amplifiers, the upstairs TV, the basement TV, and a tree one foot away from us. God! Some of it is fixed, but not yet. The Internet is back up (thank God) as of August 19th (my arrival home). Oy, it's been horrible here. Now, this is typed up on August 20th, so I will be adding the next dates comments below. Remember, review stats. Last chapter if you don't remember. Now, I'll have to shmooze and see Law and Order because I know nothing of the law. Thanks for the tip everybody! I don't know much. Thank the Lord I'm not going to be a lawyer, and if I do end up a lawyer, stay the hell away from me!

NOTE: someone asked why I type m u r d e r. It's because I have CyberSitter and my computer doesn't allow the following words: b l o n d e, g i r l, s e x, m u r d e r, b l o o d, c r a c k…yeah. I have to type them up with spaces in between because then the computer accepts them as separate letters, not words. Sorry, you'll have to just figure it out on your own.

DEDICATED to josh111888 because I couldn't see Law and Order (because two of three TV's got fried and my dad always uses it and also because I don't know the channel) and he told me all he knew about trials, asylums, sleepwalking defenses... Thanks a bunch!

Chapter 3

"Questioning"

Sam was ushered out of the truck and into the police department. A tall man at the desk recognized her immediately.

"Samantha Manson, we have you scheduled for interrogation now."

"It's SAM," she growled in return.

"Alright, SAM," said the man harshly. "Follow me." The man stood up and went into a room off to the right side of the hall. In the room were a table, two chairs, and no windows. The man turned on the light, illuminating the room.

"Sit down." Sam took a seat as another man entered the room. The first one sat down at the other end, the other standing to the side.

"You have the right to remain silent, anything you say can be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney present now and during any future questioning. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed you free of charge, if you wish.

"Sounds like Desiree," muttered Sam under her breath. Luckily, the men did not hear anything.

**"If you decide to answer questions now without an attorney present you will still have the right to stop answering at any time until you talk to an attorney. Knowing and understanding your rights as I have explained them to you, are you willing to answer my questions without an attorney present?"**

**"Fine, whatever."**

"Did you murder Paulina Nicolita Sanchez?" said the first man firmly.

"I don't know."

"During what time was she murdered?"

"Between 2 and 3 in the morning yesterday."

"You seem confident in that."

"My friend was the first to know."

"Who is your friend?"

"To this question I am exercising my right to remain silent."

"Alright. Where were you at this time?"

"All I remember was waking up at 2 that morning, grabbing my knife and going downstairs. Then I don't remember."

"So you were sleepwalking?"

"No, but I don't remember what I did in the time period she was murdered."

"Are you carrying anything?"

"No…" Sam said this in her most convincing voice, but she really did have something on her.

"Liar. Check her." The second man took her out of her chair, spread her arms and legs open as if checking her at the airport. He felt around her body (Sam felt uncomfortable like that) and at her boots said, "Found something."

"What?" said the first man. The second man pulled out a knife from her boot.

"Why are you carrying a knife?"

"I'm suicidal, okay?" said Sam grumpily; she wasn't happy admitting it.

"Alright…" said the first man, unsure. "Have you tried cutting yourself or any form of suicide?"

"Yes," said Sam.

"Try remembering something."

"I can't."

"TRY IT!"

"Alright, alright." Sam was scared out of her wits, but put on a cool front. She shut her eyes tight and thought. Only one thing came up: a bloody Paulina on the grass of Amity Park's park. Sam's knife was beside her. She wasn't about to lie to the police.

"I've got a dead Paulina, bloody, on the grass of Amity Park Public Park with my knife beside her."

"Was there any fresh blood on it?"

"I don't know."

"So you DO remember something about that morning."

"Yes, I suppose so, but that's it."

"Alright. I suppose we'll have a trial then."

"Okay."

"Do you have an attorney?"

"Not yet, but I can find one."

"The trial will be in a week."

"But—"

"A WEEK, lady. We don't like people like you here." Sam sighed. What to do? Tell her parents, apparently.

Danny sat in class miserably. All he could think about was Sam; she was absent today. Where was she? Was she okay? Would she be going to jail or be let go? Will she have a trial? Will she die? Will she go insane? What will happen?

The bell rang. Finally. Danny had a few questions to ask his last period teacher, Mrs. Zheeva about trials.

"Mrs. Zheeva?" he asked, approaching his history teacher.

"Yes, Danny?"

"Um, I just want to learn more about trials, how people get in jail, and stuff."

"Alright. I'll tell you some of the things I know. But I am leaving you to research the rest on your own."

"I'm willing."

"For once," she murmured. "Alright, then, when a person is accused of a crime, they are taken in for interrogation. If they are caught at the scene of the crime and are supposedly the committer, the police don't have to read their rights, like they do at an interrogation. These rights are called the Miranda rights, named after Ernesto Miranda. Have you heard the phrase "You have the right to remain silent"?"

"Yeah."

"That's part of it. It basically means that through the interrogation, you don't have to say what you don't want to, anything you do say can be used against you in court, and that you can have an attorney with you during questioning at that moment or during a later time. In the occasion you can't afford an attorney, one can be provided if you want one. Even without an attorney at interrogation, you still have the right to remain silent and stop at anytime until consulting an attorney, and also, they ask for your confirmation on answering questions without an attorney with you."

"Wow. That's just rights?"

"Yes."

"So, you said the info the person gives can be used in court. Does that mean that there is a trial?"

"Yes. A trial for punishment and so on. However, no such trial can go on without proof of the crime, like a motive, an eyewitness, a weapon used in the crime, DNA sample, or finger print. Depending on the outcome of the trial, the person is either off the hook, imprisoned, or put in jail for a certain amount of time. Some states have death penalties."

"Wow."

"Yes. However, if the accused person doesn't know what happened in the time period of the crime, they can use something called the sleepwalker's defense, used for people who kill in their sleep. There have been 14 high profile cases in the last 50 years, one of which including a man driving 14 miles to kill his father before waking up."

"Do people using the sleepwalker's defense get the same punishment?"

"No, they don't. Instead of jail, they are sent to the asylum, or a mental hospital. You are sent there if you committed a crime due to a mental illness, or can't tell the difference between right and wrong, nd reality to receive counseling. Once you are cured, your fate depends on state laws. Some states, like Texas, give a death penalty to these people, so you are killed once you are let out."

"That's stupid; all that progress for nothing."

"True, but alas, it is not us who make these laws. Some states, though, like Illinois, set you free after counseling."

"Is Virginia a death sentence state?"

"Maybe; look into it. But if it is, to get the death sentence, you are not trialed as an adult, but for how violent the crime was."

"Does that only work for the asylum?"

"I'd say not, but I'm not entirely sure."

"Okay, thanks, Mrs. Zheeva," said Danny, walking out of the room in a worse mood than he had at first; if he was going to figure out Sam's problem, he'd have to research it, and he already had a feeling she wouldn't bode well.

"Danny?" called Mrs. Zheeva as he walked out.

"Yeah?"

"Why are you asking me this?"

"I have the right to remain silent."

Chapter 3

Chapter 4: when I can, and when I finish research.

Oooh, cliffhanger! Questions now are: what will happen at Sam's trial, will her parents believe her, and will she get an attorney? On Danny's end: Will Danny find out enough to predict Sam's punishment and trial? Will he be at her trial? AND, If he will be, will he help the case? The most important question: WHO IS THE M U R D E RER?

People please tell me your thoughts on these questions in your reviews as well as critique. Thanks a bunch to josh111888 for telling me about the following: trials, proof for it, sleepwalker's defense, asylums, penalties in asylums, death sentences, and rights. You rule!

Now I will be researching the topics Mrs. Zheeva brought up (and the results I put in Chapter 4 will be the ones I found) for Danny. Chapter 4 might take a while to get up.


	4. Six Days

Hey. Thanks for all your reviews! I slept in until 12 pm on the 22nd, and when I checked my email, I got 5 review alerts, all for Murderer! Thank you so much, and a lot of time has probably passed, because I've been doing research. At least by the time I'll be in high school I'll know some things about this stuff. I just checked my stats, too. My highest hits were on Driven, at 291. Now, it's Murderer at 357! Sweet! (As of the 27th, we're at 404 on Murderer!) And as of the 29th, I finally saw REIGN STORM! I almost couldn't, but I DID! YAY! I finally know what happened!

People, so you know, I've been remaking Colliding of Two Forces! The first chapter was redone (and long), but you can skip half of it because from Dumbledore's arrival on because it is just retyping most of chapter 3: Will and Won't (remember, it's now during HBP). Chapter 3 is now complete as well.

I am putting up a Silver Child crossover soon as soon as I find the notebook I wrote in when I was in Russia…and also, a story where each chapter will be describing dreams I had involving Danny…yeah, I'm crazy.

As a last fiction notice, I'd like to say that I'll be making a songfic off of _I Miss You_ by Blink 182 (Thanks Katrina-Kaiba!), and Love is Blind, a mushy story. Please see my profile for more info.

DISCLAIMER: still have Butch and Mackenzie in my hands. STILL, no ransom from Jo, and no rights to DP. Poop.

RATING: T for language and mature themes.

Pretype start: August 22nd

Pretype middle 1: August 27, 2005, 2:06 am

Pretype middle 2: August 30, 2005, 1: 24 am

Chapter 4

"Six Days"

Danny sat at his computer for ages, papers all over his desk. He persistently grabbed for a pen and scribbled a spare law note on his paper. All week, since he had learned about Sam's trial, his stomach was lurching all day long and every time he thought, his body plunged into a quick heat surge.

He headed for his sink and splashed cold water on his face. He had to stay up, he had to! Sam's fate might rest in his hands! He wiped his face and got back to his computer. He Googled the topic "jail trial info". He found an interesting link…Victim Witness Info…might come in handy…He clicked the link and started reading it.

Immediately, his hand clutched a pen and a fresh paper and began to ruin it. His ink was running low, but that was fine with him; Danny had at least 5 other ten-pack packs of pens. He could go on for a year if he wanted.

"If suspect found…" he murmured, writing the words down, "police might go to City Attorney to see if person gets arrested or appears in court. Very often the police don't go to City Attorney and just give citation telling when to appear in court. Might not go to court anyway because of danger he poses."

Danny scrolled down, skipping the last sentence. Arraignment…interesting. He started a fresh indent mark and began scribbling again.

"If arrest and hold defendant in jail, court holds arraignment next day, but within 48 hours after filing charges. If not arrested, told to attend court on a specific date…first appearance is initial appearance. There judge tells rights, blah, blah, blah," Danny muttered, skipping already written info. "Oh! Judge says whether to arrest or release pending trial."

Danny scrolled down again, this time to a much shorter section called Bail and Pretrial Release. Raising and eyebrow, he raised his pen to paper as if his life depended on it, still ignoring the feeling in the pit of his stomach. Worry about me later, right now, we've got to learn all we can. For Sam. More pain and heat surged through his body, but he ignored it.

"Release most suspects if trusted to show up in court on specific day. If not or is dangerous, held in jail until trial or required to post bail."

Danny scrolled down even further, although not necessary, since the section above was so short. This one was called No Contact Order. He skimmed the large section and finally decided it was pretty pointless. He went down further. Pre Trial Hearings. Nice.

"If defendant pleads guilty at arraignment, pretrial held. Hearing must be held to see if prosecutor could use any of defendant's statements could be used against them. Prosecutor must learn if statement was made voluntarily. Also must be known if prosecutor could use evidence."

He scrolled down to a heading that he swore made his heart skip a beat. Trial. This is what he had been researching; this is what he wanted to know more than anything just so he could get to his best friend. More pain.

Breathing heavily, he wrote furiously, taking quick glances to the file every now and then. "Trial held within 60 days of arraignment, defendant has choice to be tried by jury or judge. City may also want jury trial. After trial date scheduled, may receive subpoena—what?—saying time and place. Assistant City Attorney may get interview beforehand to discuss testimony, procedure and answer any questions. Defendant's attorney able to discuss case with victim witness."

He scrolled down further, where the next heading read TESTIMONY in capital letters. He gave an involuntary gulp as he flashed his lamp more on the paper.

Meanwhile, Jack was heading down for a glass of water, for his mouth could not swallow as easily anymore. He walked past Danny's room where he could see under the crack of the door. Beneath it bright light shot out and for a split second surged and returned to normal, if not slightly weaker. He yelled hoarsely, "Danny, go to bed already!"

A small response escaped Danny.

"Yes, Dad," he said, turning off the lamp, putting the computer in sleeping mode, and diving into bed, thrusting the covers over him. Jack slowly opened the door suspiciously, muttering something about ghosts possessing his son, seeing Danny's black hair covering closed eyes, collapsed on a pillow. Jack smiled to himself; he looked so innocent, so young when he was sleeping.

But truth be told, he wasn't so innocent at all. He was robbed of whatever was left of it when he found out that Sam was going to trial. And the more Danny thought about it, the more heat went through him and the more pain gathered in the pit of his stomach. Sam…it was all he could think about. But for how long? Just now? Or since before this ordeal? He didn't know. But what did it matter?

Danny threw the covers off of him and woke up his computer, continuing his research.

The sooner he got Sam back, the better.

12345678987654321

Sam got up amazingly late that morning—around eleven thirty—and clambered downstairs, dressed in her long nightgown rushed downstairs as she realized how much time was left. Only six days. Six days to find an attorney, six days to bail her out of punishment, six days to return everything to normal. Six days to tell her parents, who, hands down, would malfunction, since they always lived in a happy world where birds sang beautiful songs to you, where heartbreak was the most foreign thing in the world, where everyone was always friends, and death by choice was unheard of.

Newsflash, parents, that world doesn't exist, she thought. In this world, there are people who feel that life isn't worth all the trouble, there are people think that other people really deserve to die, and the birds mostly turn their backs on you coldly, only letting out a lonely, icy chirp.

She walked down the stairs, where her parents sat, sewing, reading the paper, jogging, and whatever else was a strange thing to do in the morning. Sam shielded her eyes as she walked down the staircase; she never was much of a morning person.

"Mom? Dad?" she asked. They turned their heads with great force the second she spoke. It really freaked Sam out how that happened, it was like they had bat sonar's or something. "Um, I need an attorney." That much was out.

"For what?" asked her father cheerily.

"Um…see, well—I've been blamed for m u r d e r." There. It's out. It'll be quite interesting to see how my parents deal with this. Must shatter their idea of the world. Maybe they'll finally see how bratty, unremorseful, and hateful it is.

"Why?" asked her mother suspiciously, lowering her glasses.

"I don't know, but someone blamed me for Paulina's d e a t h and now I have a trial in six days, so I need an attorney."

"Well, Sam, we can't help you there. You've started it alone, you're doing it alone, you're finishing it alone," said her mother solemnly.

"What?" she broke out. "But I never did it!"

"Well, from what you've told us about Paulina, everything points to you," said her father.

"But I didn't do it! Does it look like I'm a m u r d e rer?" she cried out, pointing to herself. Her parents looked up at her and surveyed.

"Yup," they both concluded. Sam couldn't take it anymore; were these here parents? That were blaming her for m u r d e r? Was there anyone on her side?

"You know what? Screw you, God knows you deserve it. You can't even trust your own kid with what they say when it's the truth. One day you're going to end up in a coffin the same way Paulina did, through someone else. You're always so happy and jumpy like the world is perfect. Then you blame me for m u r d e r. Well, I'll tell you one thing: the world isn't perfect. It never was, and it'll never get better, because all these asses are out running around with steak knives throwing them into the backs of innocent bystanders like damned ninjas. And then you just realize it and blame the first person you see for the worst crime. Ever hear of the tell-tale heart? The story? Well, if I really did do it, wouldn't that be happening to me right now? You never consider the possibilities of something and just go on as if nothing ever happened."

Her parents sat there continuing on as if Sam had not just burst out with her speech. A furious lump rose in Sam's throat. How could they brush her off just like that? Shouldn't they at least listen? This wasn't even fair, not even by the law's terms!

"HELLO? Do you mind? Your kid is talking here? Or have you disowned me? I wouldn't be surprised!" she bit out bitterly. Nothing. She growled, and continued. "Fine. I truly hope that you'll d i e in the most painful way in the world. And when you do die in a mass of your mixed b l o o d, we'll all celebrate the day you d i ed yearly because you two were that much of s."

She stormed back out and headed up for her room and shut the door with extreme force. She stood there, seething in her deep purple room. She suddenly didn't care about the trial. As long as her parents didn't give a crap, she'd go to jail. Any time, any day.

But what about Danny and Tucker? They care. But do they? Yes, they do, I'm sure. Sam just fell onto her bed, sobbing and crying like never before.

Several hours later, after Sam had cried herself to sleep, her mother entered the room carefully.

"Samantha?" she asked gently. Sam jerked awake and stared with coldness and hatred at her through a mascara-tracked face.

"What do you want? Have you suddenly gone back to caring?"

"We just want to help!"

"Oh, right. And Danny's Satan."

"We'll find you an attorney, the best we can."

"I'll handle it myself. I'm fourteen, and I'm tough. So I'll just do this on my own."

Sam had trouble getting out the words because anger surged through every muscle in her body and that lump from before only got larger. When Sam's mother reluctantly left the room, Sam collapsed again and began crying hysterically, curled into a little ball.

She wanted love, she wanted a normal life, she wanted…she wanted Danny. Danny was always there for her, no matter what, and always would be. Even if she was in jail, he would skip school and spend the day with her in the cell. Danny was her plush toy, her teddy bear whom she could tell anything to. And with this, she finally stopped.

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Danny furiously wrote on the paper, fueled by his notion to save Sam as if it were overly caffeinated coffee. He just started on Testimony.

"When witness name called, will come to stand, take oath of truth, and be seated on witness stand. City Attorney/assistant will ask about relevant knowledge on case, called direct examination. After prosecutor's questions, then defendant jury Q's." He continued reading on about when to leave if you are the witness yourself. He once more skimmed the rest of the Testimony section. Witness procedure. _The oath, be prepared, think before you speak, speak clearly and distinctly, remain calm, be short and to the point, be yourself, witness fee, no one requires the defendant in a criminal trial to testify of any kind of even to offer an offense…_Boring.

He scrolled down and his stomach went straight to the Olympics to twist itself in odd shapes. The following heading was entitled Sentencing. It pained him to see it greatly, but if she was, he needed to know what was going on.

"Normally held after plea/finding of being guilty. Judge will take in account City Attorney's take and defendant's attorney's take…" Blah, blah, blah, and a bottle of crap. That was basically the rest of the document, anyway.

Danny went back to Google and typed in a different search. Jail Punishment. He immediately found a good link and clicked it. He skimmed it and found that it was a collection of crapola. Or at least, crap to him.

Danny's eyes strayed to the clock. Two in the morning. He should get some sleep, God knows he deserved it. And really, he would have debated it longer if all the results weren't a bunch of crap.

Danny fell dead asleep on his bed after powering everything down. And he found himself in school out of the darkness.

"Hey, Sam," he said wearily.

"Hey," she said.

"So, what's up?"

"No attorney yet."

"But the trial is tomorrow."

"Well, then, looks like its tough luck to me. Straight to the slammer," she said, accentuating the last word as she shut her locker closed. Danny knew this wasn't going to happen, but best leave Sam to think what she was going to think.

And Danny shot upwards, finding himself in bed. It wasn't a nightmare, but what if it did happen? What if it did? What would become of them? But right now…he checked the clock, seeing it was five thirty in the morning. With this, Danny collided with the bed again and immediately fell asleep.

And so Danny continued researching over the week. Five days…four days…three days were left and Danny grew more nervous with each passing day. He didn't know if Sam had an attorney, if there were any witnesses, and after stressing his mind, he finally realized that he could be accounted as a witness.

Flashback 

_Danny flew high above the luscious trees of Amity Park Public Park with an air of carelessness around two in the morning. He flew low and found a feminine figure standing on the path. There was another shadow nearby her as well. _

_A slight breeze passed through his hair and comforted him, but in that moment, the second shadow leapt on top of the figure and the figure fell limply to the ground, followed shortly by the screams of girl._

End Flashback 

He knew what happened, but he really didn't know who did it. He truly didn't know what happened but as long as he was there to see the actual thing happening, he was going to be called to the stand.

And he didn't have the least idea of what to do up there.

Chapter 4

Chapter 5: sometime when I get my butt off to redo that search…

Yeh, not much a cliffie, but a decent one, I suppose. I can't wait to write the ending. All of you are going to be like, "WHAT?" Oy…I'm so right now! A few weeks ago, my friend got the school supply list and I have yet to get mine…and it's six days to the start of school. Kind of ironic, eh?

People, please! I beg of you! Please read D e a t h is But the Next Greatest Adventure, Missing in my Mind, Fusion, Franz Ferdinand, Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge, Following Me To My Grave, Colliding of Two Forces…yeah, pick whichever one you want. This is a weird place to say it, but…DiBtNGA is for you "rise from the d e a d" people…MimM is for those of you who love those change over the summer stories…Fusion is for sci-fi/Spiderman dudes…FF is for romantics who also like some action and angst….TCfSR is for people who really love and appreciate the beauty and intensity of angst…FMTMG is for those of you who love the delusional ones…CoTF is for HP/fantasy junkies. Have fun!


	5. Witness

It's official: I got desperate for this story. I actually went around school asking for help from the teachers. Wow, that's pathetic. Well, I asked my social studies teacher, then the 6th grade social studies teacher because he teaches mock trial! I didn't get any decent answers until my English class. We had to learn how to write a decent essay, so we did a m u r d e r trial example. M.C. was the m u r d e rer, K.C. was the defense attorney, A.B. was the prosecutor, and R.C. was the victim. I was part of the jury, and was the first one for prosecution. So after class, I went over to my teacher and asked for help. She knew a damn lot about m u r d e r trials, but told me to search over and over again on Ask Jeeves, and here I am, with chapter 5! Be happy!

Now, I'm really sorry I haven't updated, but it's hard! This is going to be one of the last few chapters that needs research. Okay? I can't wait to write the ending, though!

DISCLAIMER: what do you think? I don't own the sites used in the story for research, and I don't own DP. NO!

RATED: T for language and slightly mature themes.

Pretype Start: September 8, 2005, 9:00 pm

Chapter 5

"Witness"

Sam took a deep breath in and got dressed. Several minutes later, at seven, the doorbell rang. She knew it was her attorney; they had discussed this meeting already. She moved swiftly and silently because her parents were still asleep.

She was wearing more appropriate clothing. Perhaps it would convince the judge that she was a modest, normal girl. Her high belly button shirt gave most adults the impression she was a slut. She wore a plain, slightly form-fitting black T-shirt and armwarmers striped with deep purple. Her slightly longer skirt consisted of the usual black, but a plaid cross with purple and maroon. It had some netting, but no more than three centimeters. In total, it reached her knees. She wore vest-plaid stockings in deep purple, maroon, and a little bit of gray, most of it concealed by her dressier, neater boots. Her hair was let down and neatly brushed. She didn't put on makeup.

"Samantha," said the attorney in greeting. Sam, slightly scowling, muttered that her name was Sam. "Whatever."

"Listen," he said, pulling her on to the couch. "Do not speak. I know you're terrible at it, and you're at fault. Only speak if necessary." Sam nodded, and looked deeply into his eyes. He was right. This attorney was good. Although he seemed business-only, he really cared about the outcome of the trial for Sam's sake. No, not for the profit or publicity, but he was really scared for this g i r l.

"Fine. But if it really comes up, I'm speaking," said Sam. The lawyer nodded, and, hand in hand, they headed for the courtroom.

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Sam and Thom (the lawyer) headed up the steps to the courtroom. They fought their way through the media, but eventually were separated. Sam shut her eyes, trying to escape from all the flashing photo lights and reporters in her way.

"What is it like being blamed for manslaughter?"

"What degree are you accused for?"

"Did you really do it, or were you framed?"

"How does it feel to have stolen a life?"

Sam brushed off the last one, grumpily pushing aside the media as she entered the building. She caught up to Thom and they walked in, sitting behind the defendant desk. Sam took a look around the room ("Wow, it's larger than I thought!" she muttered in awe) and saw Danny in the crowd, but not Tucker. Then she remembered; he had the Battle of the Robots State Championships today and couldn't miss it, or he'd be expelled, which was a really stupid reason to be kicked out of school.

Danny waved, his small smile wishing her luck and Sam's stomach flipped with hope. She turned back, a silly grin on her lips; even if she didn't win this, she'd be happy if she got to see him one last time.

The judge, Judge McKay, got into his spot and checked that the jury, the prosecutors, the defendants, and anyone else were there.

"All right, then," he said. "This is a second degree m u r d e r trial. I take in all evidence and every word, as this is a life or death matter."

In that moment, Sam felt like total crap; she never did anything, and here she was defending herself for a crime she didn't do!

"I will speculate a lot, unless there is something I believe needless to go in to. I want this done with well, no controversies." With this, the procedure began.

Strangely enough, the first witness was in the crowd, and not involved at all. He could see this coming, but wasn't really expecting it to _really_ happen. Danny Fenton was standing as a witness, and feeling extremely nervous, trying to tell Sam silently that no matter what happened, he didn't mean any harm.

"Judge, I would like permission to treat Mr. Fenton as a hostile witness," said the opposing lawyer. Thom dropped his head on the desk and immediately, Sam could see she was in deep crap. The judge sighed, but gave permission.

"Thank you, Your Honor." The man walked up to Danny.

"Danny Fenton, where were you the eve of April 18th, between two and three in the morning?"

Oh, crap. He had sworn to tell the truth, but what the hell was he supposed to say? _I was flying past the park after beating the crap out of a ghost_?

"I was walking around the park to get some things off of my mind." Yeah, that's it.

"Why?"

Danny shrugged. "I was a little stressed. I had a big unit test that would either fail me or ace me, and I was studying all night." The other lawyer was still a little skeptical but continued.

"Did you hear anything in the park?"

"Besides the wind and the leaves, not really."

"A scream?"

"No."

"Any shadows?"

"Yes. One jumped the other, but they were just bushes."

"How are you so sure?"

"I was there at the moment, and the park was still."

"The whole park?"

"Yes."

The lawyer walked around a bit, musing over these answers. He finally came up with a new and different branch.

"How long have you known Samantha Manson?"

"I've known _Sam_ since we were both three; our parents were friends until mine took up ghost-hunting."

"How did she come across to you?"

"Well, she was always nice to people. Sometimes beat up herself for completely stupid reasons like getting an 85 on her finals. She always did dislike conformity, and made it her life goal to avoid it like the plague."

"And how was Paulina?" The lawyer liked this information. It gave him good leads.

"Paulina was everything Sam was against. Shallow, a slut, popular…and the love of every boy in sight."

"You included?" Danny frowned.

"For a while, yes. Not anymore; I have the same opinion Sam does."

"How deep did Sam's dislike for conformity run?"

"Oh, extremely. She literally held petitions against it in middle school. She was actually suspended for causing raucous uproar, but continued petitioning even suspended."

"I see. So she's determined?"

"One would say yes after hearing that little anecdote." Sam smiled; she loved how he had a way with words.

"Hmm…and how deep did Sam's dislike for Paulina run?" Danny didn't want to answer this truthfully, but he had to.

"Considerably deeper. About two fathoms deeper if talking sea depth."

"So would it bring her around to m u r d e r?" asked the lawyer, extremely close to Danny's face, who kept it blank. Sam gasped silently as the comment seared her.

"Objection!" yelled Tom. Judge McKay dismissed it and the lawyer continued with his questioning.

"No. Sam would never wish that on anyone. She believed that everyone, even Paulina, needed a chance to be a decent person."

The lawyer brought out a few papers in a file and dropped it next to Danny. Danny picked it up and saw several papers, a typed account of the interrogation and saw on the third page that they found a knife tucked away in Sam's boot.

"Then why would she keep a knife in her boot?" Danny stayed silent, tears forming in his eyes. He had a bad feeling that Sam would lose. A really bad feeling.

"It says that she's suicidal—she even admitted it, according to these." Sam bit her lip, unsure of the outcome now. Danny gulped and finally was able to speak, forcing himself to be strong.

"She always had an issue with herself. Her parents were too happy for her and despised her way of life. They also pushed a lot of work on her. I guess she was breaking under the pressure."

Sam wrote on the legal pad that was on the desk before her. _Will I have to go to the stand?_ she wrote. She passed it to Thom, who read it and replied with _Probably not_ although that was utter and total bullcrap.

"Well, why don't we ask her?"

_Damn_, she thought. She got up to the stand unwillingly as Danny slowly dragged his body to his seat. His eyes said it all, wishing Sam luck.

Chapter 5

Chapter 6: will be done, guaranteed.

FINALLY! As I would say in Russian, nah konets! HALLELUJAH! Now, my other updates will include Tarred and Feathered, The Seams, and some other crap. Be happy; I should be studying for my damn midterms.

Everyone, wish me luck in my swim meet tomorrow (1/15)! I'm swimming IM, which I only did once as a replacement in the 2nd heat at the States and came in last. I'm also swimming fly, which I kick major ass in…

My profile will be updated in the near future, if my friend feels up to it…

**Hereon in, all stories will be typed up before updates. Sorry, but all of M u r d e r er will be typed up and revised and made pretty before a new update. So that means more quality for you, and quicker updates later.**


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